As the temperature rises outside, the caliber of movies being released to theaters also increase. June brings us some blockbuster franchises, raunchy comedies, biopic stories and animated features for old and young to enjoy.
Here are the major theatrical releases for June 2017.
**There will be no spoilers**
**Also, dates are still subject to change**
June 2
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman was easily the best part of "Batman v Superman," and now she's finally ready to step into the spotlight as the first female-led superhero movie hits the big screen. Already being hailed by critics as the best superhero movie since "The Dark Knight," Gal Gadot epitomizes the essence of Wonder Woman in a way no other actress could (sorry Megan Fox, we know you had your heart set on playing the Princess of Themyscira, but let's face it, you'd blow it). Guess it takes a woman to make a great DC superhero movie.
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie
Based off the beloved children's book series, "Captain Underpants" focuses on two young kids (voiced by comedic geniuses Kevin Hart and Thomas Middleditch) who hypnotize their uppity, mean principal (voiced by Ed Helms) into believing he's Captain Underpants - a superhero the kids make up. It looks to be a great comedy that parents and children alike will enjoy.
June 9
The Mummy
Universal is planning on releasing movies based off their beloved movie monsters into a cohesive universe, much like Marvel has. Supposedly it began with Benicio del Toro's "The Wolfman" and continued with "Dracula: Untold," but now they're saying "The Mummy" is the first reboot for the franchise, so make with it what you will. The film still looks absolutely terrible. Tom Cruise is the worst casting choice they can make, as immediate comparisons to "Mission: Impossible" has already been made based on the trailers, and the storyline looks as flawed and dull as they come. Not even including Russell Crowe as Dr. Jekyll can save this movie.
It Comes at Night
People have really bashed movie trailers as of late, saying they expose more about the movie than they need to know. "It Comes at Night" is a trailer done right, as it leaves you with anticipation of what actually does come at night, and they don't really reveal it. It looks to be a pulse-pounding horror/thriller featuring a great cast including Joel Edgerton ("The Gift") and it's produced by A24, which gifted us with the likes of "Ex Machina" and "The Witch," so I have high hopes for this.
June 16
All Eyez On Me
"Straight Outta Compton" was the surprise hit of the summer a few years ago, especially since it was a biopic in the middle of a big-budget, blockbuster summer, and it featured a compelling story, excellent cast and a powerful message. Now Tupac - one of the greatest rappers of all time - gets the biopic summer treatment with "All Eyez On Me," featuring newcomer Demetrius Shipp Jr. as Tupac, along with a solid supporting cast including Kat Graham, Hill Harper, and "The Walking Dead" alumn Lauren Cohan and Danai Gurira as Tupac's mother. This looks every bit as good as "Straight Outta Compton," and hopefully this time the Academy will take note of it.
Rough Night
Five friends from college go to Miami for a bachelorette party when things go south after they accidentally kill a stripper, and hilarity ensues as they try to cover it up. Featuring comedic mainstays Kate McKinnon, Jillian Bell and Ilana Glazer, the movie also features Zoe Kravitz and Scarlett Johansson, who is most known for her female butt-kicking movies. It'll be interesting to see her take on a more comedic role, and this looks like it'll be a surprise sleeper hit the way "Bridesmaids" was years ago.
Cars 3
When Pixar released "Cars 2," it was a huge black eye for the company, as it lacked any charm or charisma the first one had, and no one really asked for a sequel in the first place. They later all but admitted they made the movie so they could sell more merchandise, so now that they're releasing a third sequel, it looks like they're pretty much trying to repeat that same pattern. At least this one focuses back on Lightning and not centering on an annoying secondary character like Mater. Still, the story of Lightning trying to keep up with the hotter, faster, better models seem like a repetitive story that's been told many times before.
47 Meters Down
Last summer "The Shallows" was a surprise hit, and it looks like "47 Meters Down" is trying to capitalize on that. Not only does it feature two well-known actresses ("The Shallows" only had Blake Lively, while this boasts Claire Holt and Mandy Moore), but there's even more sharks! So of course it's got to be better, right? Probably not. "The Shallows" was a moody, atmospheric, slow burn survival story, while this seems to be just a cheaply done copy.
June 21
Transformers: The Last Knight
Michael Bay has repeatedly destroyed my childhood with each "Transformers" movie. The first one was alright, brought back some nostalgia, and kept me entertained. I can't even remember the second and third movies separate from each other, they seem to glob into one jumbled mess for me. Then "Age of Extinction" teased my favorite Transformer - Grimlock - only to feature him the last half hour of an almost three-hour long snoozefest. And. He. Didn't. Even. Talk. So with "The Last Knight" I have very low expectations, yet something within me still yearns for a great "Transformers" movie, and since this one features Unicron - the earth-eating Transformer - and Optimus Prime as a seemingly enemy, it looks like it could deliver. Hopefully it delivers.
June 23
The Beguiled
Featuring a stellar cast including Nicole Kidman, Colin Farrell, Elle Fanning and Kirsten Dunst, the Sophia Coppola-directed "Beguiled" looks to be an exciting period piece about an injured war vet stumbling on a house filled with women who falls for one of the girls, but betrays her trust and incites the homicidal ire of the head mother. I'm very intrigued to see where Coppola takes this, and it looks absolutely beautiful in its set pieces and clothing designs.
June 28
Baby Driver
Even though it's written and directed by Edgar Wright ("Shaun of the Dead," "Hot Fuzz," "Scott Pilgrim vs the Word," "The World's End"), I still can't muster any excitement for this film. Yes, it boasts a great supporting cast including Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm and Jon Bernthal. Yes, it's a wholly unique, original tale. Still, they cast Ansel Elgort ("Divergent," "The Fault in Our Stars") as the lead role, and I don't think he has what it takes to headline an action film. Here he plays Baby (another issue I have with the film, it's easily the stupidest name I've ever heard), a getaway driver who has hearing issues so he listens to music which makes him a better driver, and he works for an evil kingpin but wants to get out. I don't know why, I just don't see this as being that good.
June 30
Despicable Me 3
The first two "Despicable Me" movies were met with critical acclaim and box office gold, and the spinoff "Minions" movie is one of the few films to gross over a billion dollars worldwide, so the weight is on the third "Despicable Me" movie to deliver similar results. Will it be able to? Steve Carell returns as Gru, but also plays Dru, his long lost brother - along with the lovable Minions. Hopefully lightning will continue to strike on this franchise, and this will be the movie that will determine if it will remain a success.
The House
Personally, I don't find Will Ferrell that funny. He was good in a few films, but his acting to me has become rather stale, and "The House" looks to be another so-so comedy where the characters do the most outlandish things to reach a desired effect instead of doing the most common sense thing. Here parents open an illegal gambling casino to pay for their child's college education, and you can pretty much script out how it will all turn out. Not even Amy Poehler can save this humdrum comedy that will quickly fade into obscurity as soon as it comes out.
Amityville: The Awakening
This movie was made back in 2014, and was given four different release dates before finally settling on June 30th...at least for now. This doesn't bode well for the already-dead "Amityville" franchise, and looks like it should've been a direct-to-DVD sequel that would be easily forgotten. Another family moves into the haunted Amityville house. Another family is tormented by the spirits within.
So there are the major theatrical releases for June 2017.
Here's the order as to how excited I am to see them:
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